My five month old shih tzu has been acting a little strange. He hasn't been eating much, maybe just 1/8 of a cup of food a day and he should be eating at least 1 cup a day. I have started to worry. My chili (puppy's name) is already very picky when it comes to food but in the past 4 days he has been a little more lethargic eventhough at times he is still very playful and runs around like a mad puppy. But still, he is not eating enough.. he would come to his plate snif it and goes away, he'd come back several times and do the same thing. I tried giving him his favorite treat (chicken breast) and he only eat 2 small pieces, I spoke to the vet and she says he is ok but i still don't believe it. Yeah he is still playful but not as much as he was last week!! what should I do? does anyone know anything to help my little chili could it possibly be that he just lost most of his puppy teeth and he is in pain? I don't know what to do.. and I love my baby so much I don't want to see him suffer!! HELP

Thanx I will try that, I was starting to get desperate but I feel a little better.. He started to act this way over the weekend, so, about 4 days. We only went to a friend's house, maybe he ate something that upset his tummy, but for 4 days? that seems very long...He hasn't had any vaccinations lately the last one was about a month ago (rabbies).......you know? I just thought of something, I started giving him a pill called interceptor for heartworm and all of those nasty worms, maybe he is reacting to this pill, I gave it to him about a week ago!! I already made an appointment to see the vet, but in the mean time I will try using your suggestions, Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooo much!!!!

No!! it's only to prevent the nasty bugs!!! I just read some of the side effects of that drug Interceptor and found out that many puppies experience lethargy and anorexia!! This really upsets me because if this the reason why my puppy is sick I don't think is fair, it makes me very angry. I will discus this side effects with the vet and will let everyone know what happens because if it causes anorexia that is a serious disease that puppies cannot afford to have!!!

Hello everyone that gave me wonderful advice yesterday.. well, I went to the store and bought my chili baby food, mac and cheese and even gave him ice cubes to help him with his gums.. I took him to the vet today and he was neutered and had blood work done.. he is doing well and my vet said that he is not sick. she also recommended I don't use interceptor anymore because my puppy is already very picky with food and adding something that can cause anorexia is not a very good idea so I will try something new next month. Anyway, Chili's surgery went well and he is coming home in a few hours.. He ate yesterday, when I gave him all of those new food items to try. When i go pick him up I will talk to the vet about what to do to make my puppy eat!! I will keep you posted!! thank you all for your great advice!!
Lorenpad, loves chili pup!!!!

Thanx for letting me know what chilly bones are!! I actually made one using terry cloth.. he seems to enjoy it... So, chili had surgery yesterday and when I met with his vet, she explained to me that chili was fine.. the vet had said that if she was worried about chili she would not have done the surgery. she explained to me that as long as he eats some and does not stop drinking water he should be ok.. But she also told me that if he doesn't start eating well in the next few days to take him back to see her.. Well today he has been eating like there is no tomorrow. He ate his share of food and asked for more.. I gave him just a little extra because he had nothing to eat yesterday.. he seems fine.. except for the pain.. thanx everyone...
lorenpad loves chili pup

Chili's not eating is a pretty normal thing. If you're going for your vet visits and find that the puppy is still gaining weight then do not worry. My puupy was very similar - still is actually. She should be eating 4 - 5 cups a day , based on her weight and age; she's only eating about 2.5.
But I was really worried about her not eating and the vet would brush it off and say that she was fine. Our next visit she had gained about 15 pounds and I was conviced that everything was all right.

Thanx for your advise sammiec.. Chili is not gaining weight but he is alos not losing any.. I recently took him to the vet for another check and he is within a normal weight. I have noticed that my Chili is a very picky eater and cannot eat his full meal at once. He has to take breaks and comes back to eat. He is very funny!! My fiance and I got another puppy (name is pepper) and this one eats like there is no tomorrow.. we have to separate them because pepper will eat his food and then run to Chili's it is defenitely a problem.. but they are great puppies and I love them dearly.. Chili is ok and only eats when he gets hungry. I feed him three times a day and give him one hour to munch on his food and than take it away. I hope this will help him to realize that if he does not eat then he won't be able to eat his food until the next round!!!!
lorenpad

I've only had experience with poodles, but all mine have been "nibblers". I keep a bowl of dry food available at all times and of course fresh water. They ate a few pieces at a time whenever they wanted. Sometimes, they would play with it. Like grab a bite on a dead run, then drop it and jump at it several times before eating it and then grabbing another bite. They always maintained a healthy weight. My previous dog lived to be 18. I liked them eating dry food because poodles have a tendency to build up tartar on their teeth, especially with soft food. Your dog may be a nibbler at heart.

your little man maybe teething, dogs will eat when hungry I think by adding all this new choice into his diet you are going to make him an even fussier eater, it can also cause diarreaha and stomach problems so if you are going to introduce new food do so slowly blending it in with his old over at least 5 days.

Just make sure he drinks enough water and if he is perky enough and your vet says there is nothing major to worry about just give the little man time, his body is changing and growing by the day its bound to be playing havoc with the little mite!

Shih Tzu's don't put on a lot of weight it take a while for them to - plus he is a pup so he is probably working off most of it by running around!

If you are worried he is having stomach problems try cooking him some brown rice (one thing thats guaranteed not to give him stomach problems) with some ground chicken mixed in (not alot just a little to give it the taste of it) put it down for 15mins and if he doesn't eat it take it back up - he has to learn that he eats at 'dinner times' and not when he feels like it

I am a bit leary on making a dog eat only at dinner time... i guess it's just personal preference, but I am worried about creating a food aggresive dog. It's difficult to tell when your dog is hungry, at least in my case, she doesn't show signs. I just leave a bowl of food down all day. 1 bowl of food is 2.5 cups and she almost never finishes it before I go to bed at night (I put it down in the morning). I think I have a nibbler.
She's at a healthy weight - 45lbs @ 8 months, her eating habits have not changed since my last post....
BUT I am a strong believer in not putting "extras" in her food. That creates a picky eater and makes it difficult.